External Strategic Communications & Funding Strategist

University of Minnesota; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 94,000 - 108,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive wages

Paid holidays

Tuition assistance

Retirement plans

Transit benefits

Job summary

The External Strategic Communications & Funding Strategist at University of Minnesota elevates MIDB’s profile, positioning it as a premier research institute to drive donor investment and strategic partnerships. You will design high-level external narratives, coordinate with central University Marketing Communications, and guide leadership messaging across external channels.

Reporting to the Administration and Operations Director with a dotted line to the Director of Communications, you will

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree and at least 6 years of experience in a relevant field.
• Demonstrated leadership, collaboration, customer service competence.
• Excellent written and oral communication in English.
• Proven ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with internal/external clients and the public.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, high-change environment.
• Experience managing websites and social media channels.
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic development and executive oversight of MIDB's brand story and positioning.
• Oversee external reports and major publications to demonstrate ROI to donors and leadership.
• Co-develop an integrated editorial calendar with the Internal Strategist.

Skills

Strategic communications

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Written communication

Public speaking

Education

BA/BS degree

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Salesforce CRM

CMS/Website management

Social media platforms

Email marketing software

Job description

About the Job

External Strategic Communications & FundingStrategist

Communications: 9761PR

Position Overview

The External Strategic Communications & Funding Strategistelevates the profile, reputation, and competitive funding advantageof the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB). In equalpartnership with the Internal Communications & DigitalOperations Strategist, this role co-leads the ongoing maintenance,alignment, and execution of MIDB's overarching strategiccommunications plan. This role designs and executes high-levelexternal communication strategies that engage primary externalaudiences, including donors, government leaders, communitypartners, and institutional leaders. Serving as the strategic leadfor institute brand messaging, social media strategy, and externalpositioning, this role translates complex scientific and clinicalresearch into compelling narratives that build external visibility,positioning MIDB as a premier research institute to drive sustaineddonor investment, strategic partnerships, and competitive grantopportunities.

This position reports to the Administration and Operations Directorwith a dotted line report to the Director of Communications in theOffice of Academic Clinical Affairs (OACA). This position alsoworks in close partnership with MIDB’s Internal Communications& Digital Operations Strategist and central UniversityMarketing Communications teams.

Key Responsibilities

External Narrative Framework, Brand Messaging Leadership &Positioning (30%)

• Lead the strategic development, evolution, and executiveoversight of MIDB’s overarching brand story, core messagingframeworks, and master positioning platforms.
• Oversee the end-to-end strategy, content architecture, writing,and production of MIDB’s externally facing annual report and majorimpact publications to demonstrate ROI to donors, Universityleadership, and community stakeholders.
• Co-develop an integrated institute editorial calendar with theInternal Strategist, ensuring external storytelling seamlesslycomplements internal messaging without overlap.
• Translate complex brain development research, clinicalinnovations, and grant awards into accessible, high-impact featurestories, public announcements, and thought leadershipcampaigns.
• Direct executive messaging and public positioning (includingLinkedIn presence) for MIDB leadership and faculty researchers toamplify expert voices in national and regional forums.

Stakeholder Curation, Audience Segmentation & Salesforce CRM(25%)

• Lead the strategic buildout, management, and optimization ofthe Salesforce CRM platform to map, segment, and track engagementacross priority external audiences.
• Cultivate targeted communication pathways for high-net-worthdonors, government agencies, community organizations, andhealthcare networks.
• Partner closely with the University of Minnesota Foundation(UMF) to align donor communication strategies, stewardshiptouchpoints, and philanthropic pipeline growth.
• Evaluate external channel reach and market penetration,identifying strategic partnerships to expand MIDB’s regional andnational recognition.

External Channel Strategy, Social Media Governance & PublicVisibility (25%)

• Define and govern MIDB’s external social media strategy,platform mix, and public narrative direction across all externalchannels.
• Lead the strategic vision, messaging, public promotion, andexecutive alignment for major external events, milestoneanniversaries, donor galas, and community showcases.
• Partner with OACA Communications and University MarketingCommunications to secure strategic media placement and highlightMIDB research breakthroughs.
• Prepare executive leaders, principal investigators (PIs), andfaculty experts for media interviews, high-level panelpresentations, and public policy briefings.
• Design, execute, and measure high-visibility public campaignsand announcement rollouts to sustain momentum following keymilestones.

Funding & Grant Positioning Assets (20%)

• Develop strategic communication assets, narrative frameworks,and impact collateral that enhance the competitiveness of futuregrant applications.
• Translate ongoing institute milestones and clinical outcomesinto compelling return-on-investment narratives for institutional,state, and external funders.
• Advise PIs on external positioning and dissemination estrategias to fulfill broad impact requirements for major funding bodies.

Qualifications

All required qualifications must be documented on application materials.

Required Qualifications

• BA/BS degree and at least 6 years of experience in a relevantfield.
• Demonstrated leadership, collaboration, customer servicecompetence.
• Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication inEnglish.
• Proven ability to establish and maintain effective workingrelationships with internal clients, external clients and thepublic.
• Proven ability to work within a fast-paced high-changeenvironment.
• Proven experience with managing websites and social mediachannels.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in communication, business administration,public administration or related field.
• Ten (10) years of professional communications experience thatincludes supervisory responsibilities.
• Highly proficient with technology including content managementsystems, and email marketing software.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite (particularly InDesign andPhotoshop) and video editing software.

About the Department

The Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) is dedicatedto fostering the healthy brain function of children across thelifespan with the mission to set and maintain a healthy trajectoryfor all children toward positive life outcomes through earlyneurobehavioral and mental health assessment, innovative targetedinterventions, informed policy-making, compassionatechild-advocacy, and community education. The MIDB’s mission ofbasic and clinical research in the field of neurobehavioraldevelopment is supported by its Neuroimaging core, which fosterscollaborations within departments at the University of Minnesotaand across institutions to build teams with the highest possibledegree of expertise.

Pay and Benefits

Pay Range: $94K-108K ; depending oneducation/qualifications/experience

Time Appointment: 100% Appointment

Position Type: P&A Staff

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for moreinformation regarding benefit eligibility.

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional trainingand degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition BenefitProgram
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counselingat no cost
• Employee TransitPass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metroarea

While our salary ranges provide a framework, it is important tonote that most of the time, the initial pay may not reach the maximum of the range. Thisapproach ensures that compensation reflects the value and unique contributions ofeach candidate while maintaining equity within our organization. As part of ourcommitment to fair and equitable compensation, please be aware that the salary offered toincoming candidates will be based on their individual credentials and experience.

Diversity

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversityand inclusion in enriching the employment experience of itsemployees and in supporting the academic mission. The University iscommitted to attracting and retaining employees with varyingidentities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to andopportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment withoutregard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender,age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteranstatus, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Employment Requirements

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successfulcompletion of a background check. Our presumption is thatprospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminalconvictions do not automatically disqualify finalists fromemployment.

About University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among thelargest public research universities in the country, offeringundergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitudeofopportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of oneof the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities,students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit fromextensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers,international corporations, government agencies, and arts,nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized byForbes as a Best Employer for Company Culture (2026), Best Employer for Women (2023, 2025, 2026), and Best Employer by State(2022-2026). In 2026, we also received Culture Excellence &Industry Awards recognition for employee appreciation and work-lifeflexibility.